


wherever you are

by astrangepurplefairy



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Boys In Love, Canon Era, I can’t tag, Implications of sex but nothing explicit, M/M, Some angst?, Spot/race is only mentioned, The Delancey’s are their own warning, They’re all gay, albert/Elmer is only mentioned, davey is precious, eventual use of slurs, everything is the same except jack and kath didn’t kiss, finch/Crutchie is only mentioned, i lied there’s a good amount of angst, imma update these tags don’t worry, jack really likes him, javid - Freeform, like REALLY likes him, someone gets beaten up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-26 00:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 8,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19756813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrangepurplefairy/pseuds/astrangepurplefairy
Summary: Jack Kelly is sort of the most beautiful thing Davey Jacobs has ever seen.————Davey is falling in love with Jack, and he has absolutely no idea what to do about it.





	1. my penthouse in the sky

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to a javid story!! hope you enjoy loves

Jack Kelly is sort of the most beautiful thing Davey Jacobs has ever seen.

The realization blows through Davey’s mind as he sits in the penthouse, Jack lounging across from him. The night is young yet, but Davey is tired, and a crimson sun had just sunk beneath the horizon, darkening the sky. Lamp lighters whistle on the streets below as they re-brighten the city, the bustle of the people uninterrupted, and Davey can hear the tinny commotion of the newsies in the lodge below as they goof off playing poker and wrestling each other. A cool wind is blowing through his hair, the air just warm enough to sleep comfortably in, a few stars dotting the sky, and Jack Kelly, leader of the Manhattan newsies and most recent strike winner, is sitting across from him.

Jack was lying on his back, vest pillowed under his head, one knee bent as he reclined on the roof. His green eyes are on the sky, a stupid, joyful little smile on his face, hands folded over his heart. And Davey can’t help but think that he’s just  _beautiful._

“We won, Dave.” Jack repeats, for what must be the millionth time that night, smile widening until he’s practically empyrean in his magnificence.

“Indeed we did.” Davey responds, but his words sound breathy even to his own ears, layered with levels of emotion buried so deep that Davey didn’t even know they still existed.

Jack’s head lolls lazily to one side, gaze meeting his, and he smirks. “I couldn’t’a done it without you.” He says.

Davey looks to where the sun just set over the land so Jack won’t see the steady redness dancing up through his face. He swallows sandpaper and murmurs, “I’m sure you could’ve.”

“Nah.” Jack says, and sits up. “We both know that if you hadn’t’a had those boys backs when I was...” He takes a breath, and Davey just looks at him. “When I was workin’ things out, then none of this woulda kept goin’ on.” Green eyes meet hazel as Jack stops talking, and Davey swears he can feel his blood turn to ice in his veins. “And, uh—and that means a lot to me, y’know?”

Davey smiled a little. “I know it’s what you would’ve wanted me to do, if you were there.”

Jack sat up and turned to him. His eyes were wide, mouth pursed to one side like he was trying to decide something he just couldn’t, dark hair in a ruffled disarray atop his head. “Were you mad?”

“Was I mad?” Davey echoed, and then chuckled dryly. “Of course I was mad, Jackie, I mean—I thought you’d sold out to Pulitzer. Things had been going so well... we’d gotten into the paper, and the rally had been organized, Brooklyn was behind us. And I thought that you’d thrown it away for money. I practically wanted to wring your neck.”

Jack huffed a laugh, but his eyes were haunted.

“But I’m not mad now, Jack.” Davey assured, and then laughed when nothing better to do presented itself. “I don’t see how any of us could be. You had it all worked out in your head, and you figured it out. Everything came together.”

Jack mumbled something under his breath, looking towards the skyline, and Davey’s brows furrowed.

“What?” Davey asked, leaning forward.

Jack turned red. “I said not everything.”

“Not everything what?”

“Not everything came together.”

Davey took a slow breath. “What didn’t come together?” He whispered.

Jack stared at him for a long moment, lips pressed together, eyes sad, brows drawn up. The contours of his face were sharp in the light shining up from the street lamps, his hair still a wild mess atop his head. For a moment, he looked young. The responsibilities that plagued him had evaporated from his features like water under the sun as he looked at Davey.

Jack said nothing.

Just leaned forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry to anyone who doesn’t like cliffhangers!!  
> kudos and comments??  
> love you!  
> <333


	2. the sun and the stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Kelly knew three immutable things in life.  
> ————  
> Jack hasn’t stopped thinking about Davey since the moment they met, and it’s messing with his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two my lovessss  
> from Jack’s POV if that wasn’t obvious  
> enjoy!!

Jack Kelly knew three immutable things in life.

Number one: he would protect his newsies in every way, at any cost, to every extent.

Number two: Medda Larkin and painting had saved his life.

Number three: he had wanted to kiss Davey Jacobs since the moment he first saw him.

Jack had liked girls before. He’d liked boys before. It was hard to understand if you weren’t a newsie, but easy to understand when you were. As kids who sometimes slept alone and in the cold, a night being warm and held wasn’t just  passed up . “Beggars can’t be choosers, and we are definitely beggars,” Race always said. And even though Jack always cuffed him on the back of the head when he said that, he was right. The newsies just... didn’t  care .

But Davey was different. He was a newsie now, of course he was, but he hadn’t grown up with them. Jack just didn’t know if he... Jack didn’t know anything. Except that he wanted to kiss Davey.

Jack sat up and sighed a little. “Were you mad?” He asked quietly.

He wasn’t saying that he didn’t listen to what Davey said, but he wasn’t paying particular attention. How could he, when one of Davey’s loose curls was falling over his brow, his hazel eyes shining in the night, his hands playing absentmindedly with a loose string on the hem of his shirt.

“—practically wanted to wring your neck.” Davey’s voice bleeds back into his thoughts, and Jack lets a humorless laugh escape his throat. Guilt crashes over him like a wave over the shore, and he must be completely transparent, because Davey goes on. “But I’m not mad now, Jack,” he laughs, and Jack relishes the way Davey says his name. “I don’t see how any of us could be. You had it all worked out in your head, and you figured it out. It all came together.”

Jack looks off into the skyline.  _Not everything came together,_ he thinks bitterly to himself. Because in a perfect world, he would have Davey in his arms, his hands running through Davey’s hair, and he wouldn’t have to wonder if Davey wanted to be there or not, because he’d know.

“What?”

Jack feels his face flush red and prays that Davey won’t notice. Panic shoots through his entire body, blood boiling and then freezing in his veins, and he wonders for a moment if he can lie. But Davey has always seen through his lies. Davey knows his head, knows how his brain works, the way that the ocean knows the shore and the flowers know the sun.

Jack takes a breath. “I said not everything.”

“Not everything what?”

He swears that Davey is trying to kill him. “Not everything came together.” He murmurs.

Davey inhales like he’s scared, and Jack looks into his face when he’s looking away. “What didn’t come together?”

The words are stuck in his throat.

Stuck, because Jack isn’t sure of anything anymore, and Davey is beautiful, and his lips are parted like he can’t believe what’s going on—

Jack had about a million thoughts flying through his head all at once, but only one is coherent.

He leans forward, eyes on Davey’s lips, chest heaving with breaths.

And Davey leans back.

“Jack,” he whispers, eyes wide.

Jack feels his soul crack apart.

“I’m sorry.” He breaths, head ducking as tears fill his eyes. “I’m sorry, Dave, I didn’t mean to—“ he stands up.

“Jack, wait.”

“I, uh...” he holds out a hand when Davey stands up, as if warding him off. “Jesus, that was real stupid of me, huh?” He laughs bitterly. “Try not to hate me afta this, I swears I was just—“

“ _Jack_.”

“Dave.” Jack responds, and drags a hand through his hair.

Davey laughs a little, taking a step forward. “You took me by surprise, is all.”

“Well yeah, clearly, considering—“

Davey grabbed him by the suspenders, and everything sort of happened like a strike of lightning, too fast for Jack to understand. There was just a dry laugh, and then lips on his own, two hands still fisted around his suspenders.

Davey pulled away before Jack could even close his eyes, hands flattening on his chest, which was heaving frantically.

“You took me by surprise.” Davey said again, a little smile on his face, hazel eyes boring into Jack’s own.

Jack blinks twice. “Do that again.” He breathes.

Davey laughs and opens his mouth to speak, but the voice that echoes across the roof isn’t his.

“Davey!” Les’ voice calls from the fire escape below. Davey pulled away from Jack, even though his little brother is nowhere in sight, and exhales.

“Les?” Davey calls back, only sounding slightly annoyed.

“It’s late, we gotta go back!”

Davey sighs, and then turns to Jack. His eyes are glittering in the starlight, lips quirked in a half-smile, cheeks rosy like the sky at sunrise. He’s just  _gorgeous._

“I have to go.” Davey whispers, and with a soft look, turns away.

Jack grabs his wrist.

Davey looks over his shoulder, meeting his eyes once more. “This wasn’t just a passing moment, right?” Jack whispers. “I’m—I’m not just a passing moment?”

Davey’s face softens. “Jack Kelly,” He says fondly, and puts a hand on his face. “You have never been a passing moment.”  Jack smiles up at him, cheeks reddening, and Davey squeezes his hand. “I really have to go.” He says.

Jack nods, but fists his hand in the front of Davey’s shirt and pulls him close.

This kiss feels like a first kiss.

Jack parts Davey’s lips with his own, tongue running across his bottom lip, hands sliding up to cup his jaw. Davey tastes like paper and night air and he smells like ink and cotton, his mouth warm and skin cold. Davey’s hands latch onto Jack’s hips, squeezing them tightly. Jack lets out a low rumble and pushes his body against Davey’s, until each plain of them is aligned, and when Davey’s hands slide around Jack’s body and press into the small of his back, he feels everything snap into place.

Davey is the sun, and Jack is revolving around him.

“Davey!”

Les’ voice breaks them apart, echoing up from the fire escape once more, and Davey breaks away with a smile, brushing his nose against Jack’s.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jack says breathlessly, and grins.

Davey leans back, fixes a strand of Jack’s hair, and smiles. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He echoes, and then he disappears down the fire escape, red-cheeked and smiling.

Jack falls backwards into his mattress, looking up into the stars.

_Davey is the sun, and Jack is revolving around him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this was fluff and im not ashamed  
> kudos and comments if you wanna??  
> love y’all!  
> <333


	3. the motivation of the wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey doesn’t sleep.  
> ————  
> Davey’s luck seems to disappear the day after he and Jack’s kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this gets a little intense you’ve been warned  
> don’t be mad

Davey doesn’t sleep. It’s not to say that he doesn’t try, because he absolutely does, but every time his eyes begin to close, he jerks awake with the terrible fear that he was in a dream all along. That he would wake up the next morning, and go to sell, only to find Jack treating him exactly the same, because nothing had happened in the first place. 

He’s exhausted. The sort of exhaust that makes your eyes swim and your stomach clench in queasiness. Les drags him—limp like a rag doll and too tired to even speak—to the lodging house the next morning, seeming particularly loud and boisterous. Apparently Race and Albert had been teaching him how to play poker the night before, and he was planning on “hustlin’” them tonight.

The moment they’re in front of the lodging house, though, Davey’s blood begins to flow through his veins and his head clears.

Jack is standing in the doorway while the newsies roughhouse just outside the building, cap situated over his dark head and signature smirk curling his lips. Even from down the sidewalk, he meets Davey’s eyes, and Davey can see the mischief shining in his gaze, like gems sparkling under the sun.

“There they are!” Race calls, one of his arms slung around Albert’s shoulders.

Davey manages a weak smile. “Here we are.” He says, and Jack smiles at him.

“Right, newsies!” Jack claps his hand together and they all go still, looking to him. “Hit the streets!”

The newsies let out a cheer and begin to galavant down the streets, yelling and cheering and teasing, and Les follows them eagerly. Davey makes to go after him, his heart pounding against his ribs as he passes Jack.

A hand wraps around his wrist.

Davey is smiling even before Jack has him pressed up against the wall of the alley beside the lodge, chest rising shakily when their gazes meet. All in one moment, Jack’s fingers intertwine with his, one of his knees sliding between Davey’s, and he presses his face into Davey’s neck.

“Missed you, Dave.” Jack whispers thickly, and smirks against Davey’s skin.

“Morning, Jackie.” Davey laughs, and nuzzles his cheek against Jack’s like a wolf would it’s mate. “Missed you too.”

Jack leans back with a smirk, and the look in his green eyes is enough to send all traces of exhaust shooting from Davey’s mind, his stomach twisting in a perfect sort of way.

Jack presses Davey against the wall and presses himself against Davey, tangling their arms and legs together until there’s not a place where Jack stops and Davey begins.

Davey giggles and meets Jack halfway.

—————

They stay there for a long time—longer than they should, in all honesty. But Jack’s hands feel good on Davey’s body and his lips feel good on Davey’s lips and he  feels _good,_ so good. They don’t part until they hear Elmer begin to hawk just down the street and they know they’re ridiculously late, and even then, it’s another half-hour before they manage to actually walk away from each other, after several attempts. _Failed_ attempts.

It takes Davey until past dark to sell all of his papes, and he’s so exhausted that he’s only half-awake as he trudges back to the lodging house, too tired to think.

“What ‘ave we here?”

Davey doesn’t hear the Delancey’s, not at first, but when someone grabs him by the shoulder and slams him so roughly against a brick wall that his vision flashes white for a moment, it’s suddenly hard to ignore them. A wave of nausea flashes up his spine, and Oscar leans forward, face far too close to Davey’s.

“Ain’t you da smart one, Mouth?” Oscar snarls, and then grabs Davey’s forehead in his hand and slams his skull against the bricks.

Davey feels blood wet his hair.

“Don’ you know betta than t’ be walking ‘round late at night?” Morris cuts in.

Oscar lets out a harsh laugh. “Should we be knockin’ some sense into ya?”

Morris’ hand collides with the side of Davey’s face and he goes sprawling, hitting the ground harshly. The Delancey’s stand ominously over him, dark angels ready to drag him to his death, and a part of him manages to think ‘ _my poor Jackie’_ before their fists and feet start crashing into him with the force of a meteor hitting the earth.

Davey curls in on himself.

There’s no way to know how long they beat at him.

A foot comes down on his face, and Davey’s world goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i told you not to be mad  
> i love you guys!!  
> kudos and comments if you want??  
> <333


	4. to hold you in my arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack puts his head in his hands, a wet breath shuddering from his lungs.  
> ————  
> Jack sits by Davey’s bedside until he wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is both kinda angsty and kinda fluffy  
> don’t judge me  
> look i fixed it from last chapter!!

Jack puts his head in his hands, a wet breath shuddering from his lungs.

Davey’s lying on his bed, chest rising and falling steadily, face pale. It’s been two days since Albert found him unconscious in that alleyway, and he’s barely moved since then, except for the flutter of his eyes under his eyelids and the occasional call of Jack’s name.

Jack hadn’t left his side once. How could he?

He scraped up all the money he’d saved up, from every pape he’d ever sold, and gotten a doctor. When each breath that Davey let out had broughtblood to his mouth, Jack knew that no one in the lodging could possibly help him. A doctor was his only shot at Davey getting better.

The doc had said that Davey had a concussion and a pulmonary contusion—whatever that meant—as well as a few broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a ruptured ear drum which would only cause temporary hearing loss.

They’d practically beat him to death.

Jack wanted to kill whoever _they_ were, whoever had done this to Davey. To  _his_ Davey. His gentle, intelligent, loving Davey.

But he couldn’t leave. He  _couldn’t_.

Not Davey.

—————

It was four days before Davey really woke up. 

“Jack?” A hoarse voice whispered.

Jack’s head shot up from where it had rested on the mattress by Davey’s feet, body catapulting up and to Davey’s side in a moment, a heartbeat.

“Dave,” Jack whispered. His face cracked, broke, and his head fell until it hit the mattress and he was just _crying_. “ _Dave._ ” He breathes again. “Davey, I thought you was gonna die, Davey,  _my_ Davey.” A sob tears out of his throat harshly, body convulsing, and a hand comes down on the back of his head, scratching his scalp softly.

“I’m okay now, Jackie.” Davey’s voice is hoarse. “I’m not gonna die.”

Jack’s tears don’t stop—he doesn’t know how to turn them  _off_. “The doctor,” He rasps, and then sits up to look Davey in the eye when his sobs start to hurt his chest. Davey makes a soft, pained sound at the tears making tracks down Jack’s splotchy face. “The doctor said that youse gotta concussion, which I guess means you literally busted your brains up.”

Davey laughs hoarsely, and Jack savors the sound.

“He also said you had a pulmonary contusion, which was why you was breathin’ blood n’ all. It was from gettin’ hit in the chest so much.” Jack takes a breath, and Davey mirrors him, wincing when his chest expands in a deep inhale. “He fixed all that, along wit’ your busted ribs and your hurt shoulder. Says you can’t move around with the concussion. And—uh, you can’t hear out your right ear, huh?”

Davey’s face contorts in panic as he cocks his head to one side and realizes his deafness. Tears pool in his eyes, and Jack cuts him off, “No, don’t freak out!” He says quickly. “It won’t last forever, doc said it’s—it’s temporary, or something.”

He breaths a sigh of relief, but his face is still filled with concern, skin bruised and sliced. God, he doesn’t even look like  _Davey_ .

“Jack.” Davey breaths, and Jack meets his sad, tired eyes. “Will you hold me?”

Jack’s heart shifts painfully in his chest, aching and twisting, but he gives Davey a gentle smile and lays down beside him, taking him gently in his arms. Davey lets loose a heavy breath, pressing his face into Jack’s chest. One of his hands comes up slowly and fists in the fabric of Jack’s shirt, keeping him close, and he makes a soft sound. It’s a sound of relief, of unending solace, and all Jack can do is rest his chin on top of Davey’s head and hold him close to his body, shutting his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that’s kinda cute eh?  
> kudos and comments if you want??  
> love you so much!!  
> <333


	5. his eyes burn like starfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a week before Jack leaves Davey’s side, and three before Davey can sell again.  
> ————  
> Davey’s run in with the Delancey’s becomes public knowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo back to some angst  
> whoops  
> hope you enjoy!!

It takes a week before Jack leaves Davey’s side, and three before Davey can sell again.

Davey stands that morning with ease, only his ribs twinging, just barely. Still, Jack is right by his side, holding his arm.

Davey turns to him with a skeptical look. “I’m fine, Jackie, I’ve been walking again for a week now. Look, I’m not dizzy or anything.” He spins in a circle to prove his point, and Jack smiles a little.

He kisses him softly, smiling. “I’m just makin’ sure, Dave. Don’t need you fallin’ on your ass when you try to sell today, yeah?”

Davey leans down to kiss him again, and wonders idly if he’ll ever have enough of kissing Jack. He can’t imagine it. “I’m not gonna fall over. I’ve been walking for seventeen years now, you know that?”

“You was walking right after you was born?” Jack raises a brow.

Davey pushes his head away, but he laughs. “Shaddup, Jack.” He says, and then kisses him once more.

Davey and Jack walk down to the main floor of the lodge still laughing, staying a reasonable distance apart, even though their hands brush every once in a while. Davey can’t imagine that everyone in the lodging house doesn’t know about their relationship, considering the dedication Jack had to staying by his side, and the state he’d put himself in, but they don’t talk about that. The same way they don’t talk about Albert and Elmer sneaking into each other’s bunks, and Finch subtly touching Crutchie like he just can’t help it, and Race spending nights over in Brooklyn because ‘ _it sorta looked like it might rain.’_ Newsies didn’t care about things like that.

They walk to Wiesel’s in a comforting silence, and Jack doesn’t try to steady Davey out once, just brushing their knuckles together and smiling a little. Davey’s hearing is still shoddy in his right ear, and even though it’s not completely gone anymore, he walks on Jack’s right side, just in case he wants to talk.

He’d forgotten about the Delancey’s.

Not forgotten, per say. The images of them interrupted his dreams, sent his heart racing and his head reeling. The injuries they’d left on his body and his mind wasn’t something that could just slip through his memories.

He’d just forgotten that they worked with Wiesel. That he’d have to  _face_ them.

“Thought we left you for dead.” Oscar snarls quietly, when Davey’s close enough to hear him.

Davey flinches away, shrinking in on himself, and looks away.

It happens fast and slow, all at once.

Jack appearing at Davey’s side out of nowhere, that happens fast.

The fury on his face as he looks at Oscar Delancey is slow.

Davey trying to yell out, to stop Jack, is fast.

Jack leaping across the table at Oscar happens slowly, so slowly.

Jack solidly punches Oscar three times before Albert’s yanked him off. Oscar snarls, his brother appearing at his side, and suddenly Race is in between Jack and the brothers, baring his teeth. Oscar’s nose is bleeding—Jack’s holding his face from a punch that Davey hadn’t seen. The Manhattan newsies are gathering around Jack and around Davey, growling at the Delancey’s or assuring Davey that everything is okay.

Jack raises a hand and points a lone finger at the brothers, fuming. Davey has never seen such true fury in anyone’s eyes. “I’ll kill you.” He says lowly, and it feels  _real._

Oscar snaps his teeth like a dog and Race steps forward, getting in his face and staring him down. “We ain’t gonna soak you when Davey’s ‘round, ‘cause he’ll get upset wit’ us.” Race says darkly. “But we’ll be huntin’ you down tonight, boys, and that’s a promise.” He swears.

Jack shakes Albert’s hands off of him and looks, wide-eyed, to Davey, his eyes burning.

And in that moment Davey knows, he just  _knows,_ that Jack Kelly is in love with him, and that he is in love with Jack Kelly.

Jack looks back to Oscar. “A promise.” He repeats. And then, “Show’s ova’, boys. Line up.”

And the newsies do as told.

Davey doesn’t say anything about his newfound realization, just puts a subtle hand over Jack’s when they stand together in line and whispers, “You’re alright, calm down, Jackie.” So quiet that only Jack can hear. Jack nods firmly, but his eyes are on the ground and his lower jaw is jutted out, lips white with anger.

So when they’ve both gotten their papes, Davey drags Jack into their alley and pulls him into a tight hug, burying his face in Jack’s dark hair.

Jack’s arms come back around him fiercely, squeezing. Davey’s ribs twinge slightly but he can’t even find it in him to care, just hold Jack in return, breathing in the scent of his skin.

That night, when Albert, Race, Finch, Mush, Buttons, Elmer and Jack all start towards the door in one large group, Davey’s heart drops and he calls, “Wait!”

Jack looks over his shoulder. “You ain’t stoppin’ us, Dave.” He says firmly.

Race and Albert both nod in affirmation. Davey sighs desperately, looking beside him to Crutchie, who just shrugs like ‘ _what are you gonna do?’_ and looks up at the group. After a moment, Davey breaths, “Don’t kill them.”

Finch chuckled. “We ain’t gon’ kill them, Davey, jeez.”

Race’s cigar hangs from his mouth as he says, “Yeah, just bruise ‘em up a little.”

“A lot.” Albert butts in.

Davey nods, and Jack turns away again, but he stills at the sound of his name from Davey’s throat. “Jack?”

“Dave?” Jack calls in response, and looks over his shoulder once more.

Davey takes a breath, thinks of the bruised faces and split lips and bloody noses that the Delancey’s had bestowed upon other boys, younger boys.

“Don’t go easy.”

Jack smiles, just slightly, and winks before he disappears out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe  
> ngl i like the idea that davey wouldn’t be opposed to beating them up bc c’mon he’s a newsie now  
> kudos and comments?  
> love you!!  
> <333


	6. defend my honor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack watched as Davey took his bruised, bloody hand and ran a thumb over his knuckles.  
> ————  
> Jack talks to Davey after he’s finished with the Delancey’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tHe DeLaNcEy BrUdDaS  
> this chapter is basically fluff and Jack not knowing how to communicate feelings  
> enjoy!!

Jack watched as Davey took his bruised, bloody hand and ran a thumb over his knuckles.

“You’re not supposed to get busted up while you’re busting someone else up, Jackie.” Davey whispers, and threads their fingers together.

Jack chuckled and shrugged. “Looks worse than it feels, Dave.”

“Looks pretty bad.”

“Doesn’t feel bad.”

“You’re just being a smart mouth.”

“Between the two of us, you have the smarter mouth, Davey Jacobs.”

Davey laughed, and Jack relished the sound. They were sitting cross-legged on his bed, alone in his room, where Davey had been waiting for him to get back from soaking the Delancey’s. He hadn’t said anything when Jack had walked in, just held out his hand in search of Jack’s, and  _tsked_ lightly at the injury he found.

Davey leaned over to kiss him sweetly and then stood and grabbed an old rag from Jack’s bedside table, sitting down and taking Jack’s hand again. He dabs the blood off his skin, sighing slightly, and then says, “I don’t know how to feel.”

Jack eyes him, his heart picking up slightly. “‘Bout what?”

“About you beating up the Delancey’s.” Davey whispers, and Jack can’t help his amused scoff.

He grabs Davey’s chin, gently, between two of his fingers, and tips his head up until their gazes meet. “There wasn’t no way I was gonna let them not get soaked, Dave. Neither was the otha boys. We protect our own.”

Davey went back to cleaning his hand and murmured, “I just don’t see how a problem of violence can be solved with violence.”

Jack sighed, removed Davey’s hand from cleaning his own, and threaded their fingers together. His thumb brushed over a freshly pink scar along the back of Davey’s hand, curtesy of Oscar and Morris, and he sighed again. “I ain’t—I ain’t good wit’ the words like you are, Davey. I talk with my body, you know what I mean? I couldn’t even tell you that I liked you that first day, I just kissed you. It passed on the message, but... but—hell, I can’t even explain this.” He let out a dry laugh. “I taught the Delancey’s a lesson without words, does that make sense?”

Davey nodded. “Yeah, it makes sense, Jack. You were defending my honor and all that.”

Jack socked him gently in the shoulder, and then leaned forward to kiss him. “Yeah, and all that.” He says against Davey’s lips.

Davey fists his hand in Jack’s shirt and slants their mouths together firmly, making a soft sound. It’s messy, and their teeth clack together, but it makes Jack’s heart race out of his chest like every other kiss they’ve shared and he never,  ever wants it to stop.

Alas, it does.

Davey pulls away after a moment, his hand flat on Jack’s chest, and murmurs, “Someone could walk in.”

Jack leans forward again. “Let them.” He breathes into Davey’s mouth, and runs his tongue along Davey’s bottom lip. Davey shudders, his hand coming up to hold Jack’s face, and for a moment, Jack thinks that he’s won.

But Davey pulls away again, and Jack groans and falls backwards, throwing his hands up. “Come on, Jackie, I really don’t need my little brother walking in on us necking.”

Jack lifts his head to give Davey a strange, amused look. “Neckin’?”

Davey laughs. “Kissing, Jack.”

“Ah.” Jack laughs and throws an arm over his eyes. “One of these days, I’m gonna find us some privacy, Davey Jacobs.”

And Jack can’t see his reaction, but he imagines him blushing red in that perfect way he does, turning the color of a fire hydrant and smiling.

Davey’s hand threads through Jack’s, and Jack grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> awwwww they love each other  
> kudos and comments if you want??  
> love you!!  
> <333


	7. the sun burned our skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Davey was smarter, he would have done things differently.  
> ————  
> Davey makes a mistake at Jack’s expense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is angst im sorry ill fix it soon  
> hope you enjoy but i wont blame you if you don’t  
> sorry in advance!!

If Davey was smarter, he would have done things differently.

He would have waited to kiss Jack until they had gotten back to the safety of the lodging house, instead of pressing him up against the wall of an alley.

He wouldn’t have gotten so caught up in Jack, he would have listened to what was going on around them.

He would have done something besides stand frozen when the bulls came.

He would have done something besides yell when they took Jack away.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Davey remembers hearing ‘three months’, and he thinks he can hear Jack calling to him.  _I’ll be back,_ he yells.  _I’m coming back._

The Refuge is closed, Jack isn’t going there.

He’s going to jail, real jail, because Davey was too impatient to just wait to kiss him. Because he felt invincible when he was with Jack. Because he’d thought nobody could touch them.

He’s not sure why they don’t take him. Why don’t they take him?

There’s white light behind Davey’s eyes. It burns, scalds, and it travels down his face, into his hands, all over his body until he’s buzzing and he’s crying and his hands are bleeding from how hard his nails are digging into them. His chest is aching like someone had shoved rocks into his lungs, like he’d been slashed and torn and ruined until all that’s left of him is a heart that’s barely beating and that white-hot  _pain_.

He stands there.

He stands there until the bulls’ carriage has long since disappeared, until the night chill bleeds into his skin and the moon makes its trail through the sky and the sun is rising in the east even though Davey is sure it isn’t supposed to. How can the sun rise knowing that Jack and Davey are apart?

And he thinks idly, when the harsh, yellow daylight slants across his tearstained face, ‘ _I_ _was going to tell him that I loved him tonight.’_

The sun keeps rising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY  
> I PROMISE I DO IN FACT LOVE THESE BOYS ITS THE PLOTS FAULT NOT MINE  
> I LOVE YOU  
> i literally teared up writing this ughsjsufnfd  
> kudos and comments??  
> <333


	8. dragged away screaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack can feel his heart pounding in his ears.  
> ————  
> Jack thinks about Davey on his way to prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorryyyyyy  
> this chapter is trash like i really dislike it but maybe you’ll enjoy  
> warning:use of slurs in this chapter  
> javidddddddd

Jack can feel his heart pounding in his ears.

He knows he got arrested. He knows he’ll spend three months in prison. He knows he’s in the back of the bulls’ carriage, and they didn’t take Davey. Thank _God_ they didn’t take Davey.

The officers are sneering at him, disgusted. Why are they disgusted?

_Because you were kissing a boy._ Some part of his head reminds him, and he very suddenly despises the police who’d grabbed him. He’s never understood the laws forbidding love. Jack doesn’t love Davey for his body, even if he does love that. He loves Davey’s mind, Davey’s laugh, Davey’s words, and if those belonged to a girl, he’d love that girl too. But because Davey’s a boy, and because Jack loves him, they’re kept apart.

The boys,  _his_ boys, what will they do? Race will step up to direct them, Jack prays, and Crutchie will take care of the littles with Elmer’s help, and Davey—Jack could only hope that Davey would be okay, stay out of trouble.

But of course he would. He would be okay, and Jack would too. He would get back to Davey in three months, and he’d be okay. _He had to be okay_.

The officers were saying something.

“What?” Jack asked numbly, blinking at them.

“I said you got three months, queer.” The one on the right, with the mustache, says.

“I knew that.”

A solid baton hits Jack in the side of the head and he gasps, falling sideways until his other side slams against the carriage’s wall. Jack lifts a shaking hand to survey the damage, and when he pulls it away, his fingers are scarlet.

“You watch your mouth, fag. We should beat that sickness right outta ya, but we ain’t.” The other one says, and Jack sees that he’s the one with the weapon. His mind is foggy, like he’d been sleeping for days and only just awakened. There’s a hollow cavity in his chest, aching for something, and Jack is suddenly glad he feels too empty to cry.

“Sickness?” Jack snarls to himself, his lower jaw jutted out.

The baton raises again and Jack flinches away, raising one hand as if to guard himself. “The hell did you say, kid?”

Jack pressed his lips together and shook his head. “Nothing.” He says gruffly.

“That’s what I thought.”

All Jack can do is thank every force imaginable that it’s not Davey in his position.

Three months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> told you it was trash  
> kudos and comments??  
> love you!!  
> <333


	9. we fall back together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month passes blindly.  
> ————  
> Davey waits for Jack to come home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluffy angst?? idk  
> im so close and so far from the end of this ficccc  
> hope you enjoy!!

A month passes blindly.

Two months.

Three.

Four.

Davey starts to lose hope of Jack ever returning.

Five.

It’s day one hundred and sixty-five.

Davey is playing poker with Albert and Race, even though he’s not invested. The littles are already asleep.

The door opens in the middle of Davey gathering the quarters in the pot.

Davey, Race and Al all turn to it at the same time, eyebrows raising in slight alarm, and Davey feels his lips part slightly.

He’s skinny. Skinny, and dirty, and the dark bags under his eyes are so pronounced that if seems as if they were drawn onto his skin with ink, unable to wash away.

“Dave?” Jack breathes, and takes a struggling step forward.

Davey stumbles over his chair as it falls over, and he makes a helpless, broken sort of sound—and then he’s  _flying_ , catapulting across the room and pulling Jack into his arms until their bodies are pressed tight together, the plains of them aligned. Davey buries his face in Jack’s hair and whispers, “ _Jackie,_ ” and he has the vague knowledge that Jack is crying into his chest but he’s more focused on the fact that he’s _back_ , he’s in Davey’s arms, and he might die before he’s willing to let go. “It’s you, it’s  _you_.”

Davey leans back to take Jack’s face in his hands, and he brushes away the tears on his cheeks, utterly disregarding Albert and Race’s presence in the room. How could be possibly care when Jack is  _here_ ,  against his body, right here.

Jack shudders a sob and Davey’s heart breaks as his hands flash from his face, to his shoulders, to his hands and back to his face, looking for invisible injuries on Jack’s skin. “Davey,” Jack breathes, and tears slip from his green eyes like dripping diamonds. “I missed you, Davey, I—I missed you, I was so afraid, and I couldn’t, I  _couldn’t._ All I could do—it was all I could do, Davey,  _Davey_ —“ Jack’s voice breaks in a sob and Davey shushes him softly, pressing their brows together and stroking Jack’s face. His palms are wet with tears but it doesn’t matter as Jack’s hands run over his chest and his beating heart, fist in the fabric of his shirt, run up his back and over his shoulder blades. 

“I’m here, Jack, and so are you. We’re here.” Davey breathes as a tear falls down his face.

Jack falls into Davey’s body once more, and Davey’s arms wrap tightly around his waist. He’s so frail, like he could break any moment—Davey’s half afraid that he’s going to crumble in his grip.

“Race, Al,” Jack breathes, and Race and Albert finally stand and make their way over. Davey lets Jack go so he’s not speaking into his shoulder, but Jack keeps one hand fisted in the front of Davey’s shirt like he’s tethering himself to something, some reality that he can’t really believe he’s returned to. Davey’s hand falls over his and holds it tight. “My boys, the newsies... is everyone alright?” Jack asks frantically, and wipes the tears roughly off his face.

Race nods and puts a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Yeah, Jack, everyone’s alright.”

Jack pats Race’s shoulder firmly, a silent ‘ _good job_ ’, and looks around. “Where’s—“ He clears his throat when his voice cracks. “Where’s all the others?”

“We’s the last ones up.” Albert cuts in, looking endlessly relieved to see his leader.

Jack nods and leans into Davey’s chest, eyelids fluttering. “Bed.” He breaths exhaustedly, and Davey nods, taking Jack’s shoulders in his hands. He shoots Race and Albert a thankful glance, eyebrows furrowed, as he leads Jack towards his room. Jack’s feet drag in fatigue as he walks, his eyes half shut. He falls into his bedroom door and Davey steadies him only for long enough to actually open it, before half-carrying Jack to his bed and setting him down on it. Jack’s head hits the pillow with the force of an anvil falling to the sea floor. Davey thinks for a moment he’s already asleep, and takes a moment to admire his sunken, beautiful face before turning away. But Jack’s hand wraps around his wrist.

“Please stay.” Jack breathes, and there’s desperation in his voice, a pleading that had never been there before. “Please, Dave.”

Davey pushes tears from his eyes and then nods, sitting down and leaning his spine against the headboard. Jack puts his head on Davey’s thigh, twining their hands together, and Davey runs his fingers through Jack’s hair softly, breath shuddering in his lungs.

“I’m staying, Jack.” Davey whispers, when it’s long since Jack’s fallen asleep. “I’m staying.”

There’s no response except the September wind whistling by the window, but Jack snuggles into Davey’s body, still squeezing his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> javid is backkkkkkkk  
> kudos and comments??  
> love you!!  
> <333


	10. let yourself be had

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dark cell.  
> ————  
> Jack has a nightmare the night he goes home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in one day??  
> it’s cuz i love you  
> enjoy!!

_A dark cell. Rats scampering across his feet. The smell of blood in the air. Men sneering at him and laughing when he flinched away. Robust officers raising their batons. Sleepless nights. Tasteless oatmeal. Tiredtiredtired. Where’sDaveywhere’sDaveywher—_

Jack’s eyes opened terribly slowly for how terrified he was.

He came home. He came home. He came home.

Except. Except his room was dark, and through his window, the fire escape almost looked like bars.

“ _Davey._ ”  Jack gasped, and bolted up in bed, skin slick with cold sweat. He’d awoken the same way countless times in the past months, calling out Davey’s name, hands shaking.

“Jack?” A hoarse voice breathed tiredly, and Jack inhaled sharply.

Davey was here. 

Jack said nothing, just dragged breaths into his body, breaths that scraped down his throat and his lungs like hooks catching on his insides, tearing him apart.

Davey sat up beside him, face set in determination, and he said, “Touch or no touch?”

“Touch.” Jack rasped, and he wasn’t done with the word before Davey’s arms were coming around him, fingers running through his hair, burying his face in Davey’s chest.

“It was a dream, Jackie, just a dream. You’re home, you’re safe.” Davey promises, and kisses the crown of Jack’s head. “I’ve got you.”

Jack shudders. “I—I was always s-so scared, so scared.” He says through hiccups that hurt his chest.

“You don’t have to tell me about it, Jack.” Davey’s voice is soft, and his fingers are still running through his hair, keeping him afloat like a buoy in a storm. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“I do.” Jack breathes, and lets out a tearless sob. “Not now, but—someday.”

“Okay,” Davey says softly. His voice is every comfort Jack has ever hoped for, every grounding he’s ever needed. “You don’t have to be scared anymore,” he whispers after a moment. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Jack might’ve laughed, if he’d had the energy. He’d always thought he was the one meant to protect Davey. But, he supposes, there’s no reason they can’t protect each other.

Jack leans into Davey’s chest and lets him lay them down, bodies close, limbs entwined. Davey’s nose brushes against his own. His hands trace shapes onto Jack’s skin.

_I’ve got you_.

Davey’s words echo in his head, sinking into his thoughts until they’re all that’s left, letting the fear flee from his brain.

Jack lets himself be had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ain’t that cute  
> kudos and comments??  
> love you!!  
> <333


	11. the family i come home to

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey wakes up early the next morning to find Jack already awake in his arms, eyes on his face.  
> ————  
> Davey watches Jack be reunited with his newsies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO CLOSE TO THE END  
> id like to add that this fic has gotten so much love!!  
> love y’all enjoy!

Davey wakes up early the next morning to find Jack already awake in his arms, eyes on his face.

“What’re you looking at me for?” Davey teases a little, heart swelling at the plain fact that Jack is _there_ to tease.

Jack kisses him and Davey can’t believe how much he’s missed it. “I’se just lookin’.” He murmurs, and Davey kisses him again, firmly, mouth fitted surely to Jack’s. Jack makes a gentle sound and his hands comes up to rest on the side of his face, teeth sliding across his bottom lip. Davey can feel his heart beg pound out of his chest as they move together, ebbing and flowing like the tides.

It’s Jack who pulls away, for quite possibly the first time ever.

He bites his bottom lip, looking timid, and murmurs, “The other boys...”

Davey nods before he’s finished. “Let’s go see them.”

Jack smiles at him and kisses his nose softly, and then stands. Davey catches glimpse of the knobs of his spine protruding harshly under his skin, but he looks away. Far away.

The boys practically mob Jack when he gets downstairs, hugging and cheering and clapping. Jack looks both timid from the attention, and like he was born for it.

When Crutchie finally reaches him, after everyone else, Davey sees there’s tears in both of their eyes.

Davey smiles when Jack hugs his brother, holding him tight, and Crutchie holds him back, dropping his crutch in favor of Jack holding him up.

When they let each other go, Crutchie shakes his head with a smile. “I’m glad you’re back.” He says.

Jack punches his brother in the arm and grins when Crutchie does. “Glad to be back.” He responds, and his eyes catch Davey’s over the crowd. Davey blushes, feels his ears heat, and Race elbows him knowingly the side.

Davey pushes his head to one side, still red, but Race just laughs.

He holds Jack gaze for a long moment, letting a gentle smile play on his face. Jack’s eyes are bright as he’s practically swarmed by his newsies, and he’s laughing, loudly and clearly in a way that Davey hasn’t heard in one hundred and sixty-five days. It’s so gorgeous that Davey’s gaze swims, eyes going misty with joy. His hands begin to shake, just slightly, and he laughs to himself.

_I missed you so much my body doesn’t even know what to do with it._ Davey thinks, and prays Jack can read the words in his eyes. _I missed you so much I can’t even think about it, focus on it, because I think if I do, I’ll combust._

Jack nods with a gentle look, almost like he’s saying ‘me too’ across the space between them, and then he turns back to the newsies and claps his hands.

They go still in anticipation, smiling.

“Newsies!” He calls, and then smiles. “Hit the streets!”

The cacophonous roar that arises is deafening, but everyone is smiling and Jack is making his way to Davey through the crowd and everything, _everything_ is going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> niiiiiccceeee  
> two more chapters!!  
> i love you!  
> <333


	12. lay me down in your arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three weeks pass.  
> ————  
> Jack has a confession to make to Davey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter after this!!  
> enjoy!!

Three weeks pass. It’s three weeks of nightmares, and flinches, and a few tears from both of them, but it’s also filled with laughter and smiles and kisses and Jack never wanting to let Davey go, because why should he let him go when he can keep holding on?

Jack is sitting cross-legged on his bed with Davey in front of him, Jack’s lips on his neck as Davey’s head falls back. Davey’s making soft sounds every few moments, little mewls of contentment when Jack leaves marks across his skin. When they’d first gotten together, they’d tried to keep the hickeys to a minimum, but since Jack came back and everyone knows about their relationship anyway—even if they don’t talk about it—Davey didn’t seem to care anymore.

“ _Jack,”_ he breathes when Jack’s lips close over his pulse. Jack flattens his tongue over Davey’s skin, and it doesn’t even take half a second before Davey’s dragging Jack’s face back up to his own and kissing him firmly, entwining their fingers together.

And Jack knows that if he doesn’t say it right now, he’ll explode.

He just has no idea  _how._

Jack pulls away and traces Davey’s eyebrow with his thumb. “We had a strange start, didn’t we?” He murmurs, and Davey raises a brow at him.

“What do you mean?”

Jack purses his lips to one side. “I just mean that we got together n’ all, then you got soaked by them Delancey’s—“ his hand tightens into a fist, and Davey puts a comforting hand over it. “And you was all busted up for a while, and then we had a little bit to be together, but then everything else happened...” he trails off, and then shakes his head. “I’se just saying we got a strange start, is all, and—and I’se still glad it was the start that it was, ‘cause it makes us  _us_ , and... Jesus, I really ain’t good with my words, and—and  _God,_ Davey, all I’se trying to tell you is I love you.”

The words tumble sloppily from Jack’s throat, and he wishes for the life of him that he could’ve phrased it smoother, said it cleaner, but it’s out there, hanging quietly between them.

Davey’s lips part.

And he breathes, “If you’re messing with me, Jack Kelly, I’ll start crying.”

Jack lets out an incredulous, amused laugh and shakes his head. “I ain’t messin’ wit’ you, Dave.”

Davey’s face breaks into a blinding, disbelieving smile and he launches himself at Jack, pushing him onto his back and pressing their mouths together.

He leans back after a moment, but only to whisper, “I love you,” and Jack feels like his heart is going to break out of his chest and just hand itselfover to the boy hovering above him, who’s hazel eyes are seraphic and who’s smile is more so. He loves him,  _he loves Davey_ , god above he loves him. He can’t say it, he can’t even think it enough. He has no way to put it into the right words, no language to capture the magnitude of his emotions. He feels like they could crash over him and drown him like a wave on the ocean and he would just  _let them_ , they’re that strong.

It takes a slow moment for Jack to realize that Davey is tugging at the hem of his shirt, trying to pull it off, but the moment he does he’s yanking it off his torso and tossing it across the room, barely breaking their kiss. Davey’s hands run along his chest, searching and discovering and memorizing, and Jack’s back arches slightly. It’s not like they’ve never gotten this far before, just not any farther, and something about this _feels_ different .

Davey sits up, knees on either side of Jack’s hips, and drags his shirt over his head until he’s bare chested.

Davey, for lack of a better word, is beautiful. He’s quite possibly the most beautiful thing on the planet, and there has never been a day nor will there ever be a day that Jack sees him and doesn’t think so. He’s perfect, from his broad shoulders to his slim waist to the dark freckles dotting haphazardly across his skin like constellations. He’s the most perfect thing Jack’s ever set eyes on, too perfect for any paint or pencil to capture, as often as he’s tried.

Jack sits up, hands sliding across Davey’s stomach and up his sides, mapping his body so he never forgets it. Davey’s head falls backwards in utter submission and Jack doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything so  _passionate_ , anything that heats up his entire body like Davey does.

“I love you,” Jack breaths, and his teeth scrape Davey’s collarbone. Davey’s hand flashes up to hold his shoulder tightly as he inhales through his teeth, and Jack just wants him, wants him, wants him. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” He repeats, for every kiss he places on Davey’s skin.

“ _Jack_.” Davey growls, and Jack doesn’t have any restraint anymore. He flips them, connects their mouths, and pushes Davey down into the mattress. Davey groans, a perfect sort of sound. His legs wrap around Jack’s hips and lock in the small of his back, and his world is just Davey’s lips and Davey’s hands and the  _sounds_ Davey keeps making, the sounds that Jack draws from his throat. The sounds that send Jack reeling, that make his body heat and his hands tighten and his eyes shut.

“I love you,” Davey breathes, one of his hands sliding up Jack’s spine to fist in his hair, and the last piece of the puzzle snaps into place.

Jack entwines their limbs, and doesn’t unwind them until the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhhhh sex.  
> hope you enjoyed!!  
> kudos and comments??  
> love you!!  
> <333


	13. the east river

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Davey are lying on the banks of the East River on the last hot day of the year, feet in the water and hands intertwined between them.  
> ————  
> Jack promises Davey something by the river.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oookkaayyyy  
> so i just wanna start off by saying that this fic has been so much fun to write because of you guys and how invested in it you were. your kindness and support has really made this fic what it is. i love y’all.  
> enjoy the grand finale!!

Jack and Davey are lying on the banks of the East River on the last hot day of the year, feet in the water and hands intertwined between them. It’s the first day of October, and even though no one really _knows_ that it’s the last hot day of the year, everyone can feel it hovering in the air.  _Have the last of your summer fun now,_ it said,  _ because soon the cold winds and the snowstorms roll in and everything is going to get harder. _

Jack doesn’t have it in him to worry about the winter right now. His skin is warm from the buttery sunshine and Davey is lying beside him in an easy silence, fingers laced together. They’d gone swimming earlier, after selling all of their papes, but eventually they’d found their way to the banks and ended up reclining in the sun’s rays, soaking in the heat.

Jack’s head lolls to one side to look at Davey. “Hey, handsome,” he calls, and bumps his foot against Davey’s to get his attention.

“Yes?” Davey says politely, but his eyes don’t open. There’s something about the sunshine that makes both of them lazy, slow thinking and moving. They’re like cats, really.

Jack studies him for another moment, and then says, “You know we’s gonna go the distance, right?”

Davey’s eyes open now.

“What do you mean?” His words aren’t mean, and neither is his tone, just curious.

Jack raises himself onto his elbows and releases Davey’s hand only to turn it over and trace the lines of his palm, reverently. “I ain’t ever gon’ love someone s’much as I love you, Jacobs.”

Davey sits up so they’re on the same level and kisses the back of Jack’s hand. “Me neither.” He says quietly.

“You talk in your sleep sometimes.” Jack whispers, and then laughs a little. “Jus’ weird things, most o’ the time, but once in a while it’s sad. You say my name, and ask me not to leave you.”

Jack can’t decide if the flush on Davey’s cheeks is from embarrassment or the sun.

“I ain’t eva’ gonna leave you, Dave. It ain’t eva’ gonna be easy for us, and I’se prepared for that, if I got you wit’ me. I don’t think you understand that I ain’t eva’ gonna disappear, no matter the risk or the danger, even if the entire world is tryin’ to keep us apart. I’ll fight to stay with you. Youse worth it all, Davey.”

Davey’s head dips, and Jack starts when he realizes there’s tears in his eyes.

“You promise?” Davey breathes, sniffling a little. 

One of Jack’s hands cradle his face, and he smiles a little. “You know, when I was in jail and I couldn’t stand to be away from you, you know what I told myself?”

Davey’s expression darkens at the mention of Jack’s time served, but he exhaled shakily. “What?”

Jack lifts Davey’s face until he’s looking him in the eyes. “I told myself I was wherever you are.” He murmurs. “I’se always wherever you are, Davey, and that’ll never change.” Jack leans forward to kiss him, and says against his lips, “I promise.”

When Jack leans away, Davey’s eyes are still teary, but they have a bright glint in them. “And you said you weren’t good with words.” He laughs.

Jack smiles and kisses across his face until Davey is giggling brightly, intertwining their hands. “I been learnin’ jus’ for you, love.”

Davey smiles once more and then straddles Jack’s waist, arms coming loosely around his neck, their brows pressed together. “You’re really not leavin’?” He whispers, and Jack shakes his head.

“I really ain’t.” He assures, and kisses him once more, unable to restrain himself from tasting him again and again. “I am wherever you are,  _always_ , Jacobs, remember that.”

“And I’m wherever you are, you remember that too.” Davey says, his fingers brushing along the fine hairs at the base of Jack’s neck.

“I knew that.” Jack says with a teasing face.

“You asked once.” He whispered, and brushed their noses together. “You asked if you were just a passing moment, after our first kiss, in the penthouse.”

Jack’s lips turn up in a reminiscent grin, eyes far off for a moment, and he chuckles. “I did.” He affirmed, and his hands slid up Davey’s hips and across his sides. “Well, I knows betta now.” He says.

“I’d hope so.”

Davey smiles, and under the New York sun, beside the East River, he lowers his mouth onto Jack’s once more.

_I am wherever you are, always._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that’s all folks!!  
> leave kudos and comments if you wanna gimme some validation or just leave your thoughts on this.  
> love you guys smmmm!!!  
> <333


End file.
